Welcome

---

---

"Injustice  ANYWHERE  is  a  THREAT  to  justice  EVERYWHERE."  

- Martin Luther King Jr.

---

---

In Memory of
Muffy Munson
the best doggie in the whole world!

• View / Sign Stempy's GuestBook!
• Visit Stempy's VoteCaster
• Visit/Post in Stempy's GuestMap!

• General Disciplinary Information
• Disciplinary Records

• TSBVME Official Complaint Form
• TSBVME Complaint Information

• Suki's Story
• Romi's Story
• Toonces' Story
• Bo Bo Bear's Story
• Pumpkin's Story
  
• Rajah's Story
• Usdi's Story 
• Pocket's Story
• PB's Story
• Asproolee's Story
• Gomez' Story
  
• Toby's Story
• Tia's Story
• Mishka's Story
• Luke's Story
• Fluffy's Story
• Toasty's Story
• Alex's Story
• Lucy's Story
• George's Story
• Creamy's Story
• Angel's Story
• Bishop's Story
• TooTles' Story

---

---

---

---

---

---

---

---

---

---

---

---

---

---

---

---

---

---

---

---

---

---

---

---

---

---

---

---

---

---

---

---

---

---

---

---

---

---

---

---

---

---

---

---

UPDATE - July 17, 2011



We miss you, Stempy!

---

Our most prized possession:

September 20, 2010 - As we approach the 5 year anniversary of Stempy's  passing in 10 days on September 30th, and Muffy's passing in 20 days on October 10th (learn more about Muffy below), we have found something that we believed existed, but was lost. Last week, while cleaning one of our closets, we found videotape of Stempy and Muffy unseen since 2003, two years before their deaths. This was filmed in April and September of 2003. Prior to finding this videotape, we only had 8 seconds of Stempy and none of Muffy. There could never be enough of either, but we are so happy to have this videotape of them. Meet Stempy and Muffy: (If the video starts and stops, let it play through one time and then rewatch it. That will fix the starting and stopping.)

Attention:

February 14, 2010 -  From comments we have been receiving in Stempy's GuestBook, some visitors are failing to grasp how all of this played out. I thought it was clear and I've explained it several times in my replies in the GuestBook, but some of you are not comprehending or you are failing to read everything.

Here is what you are missing....

We blindly trusted this vet. Yes, things did not seem right after the unauthorized surgery. It is why my wife took Stempy back to this vet every day after the unauthorized surgery. The vet made my wife feel like we were crazy for being so worried or concerned. The VET was supposed to be the professional here - not us. It was not until AFTER he died that I started to really examine and research what had just happened.

What are we guilty of?

We are guilty of blindly trusting this veterinarian. Believe me, it will never happen again. We truly wish we had taken the time to educate ourselves about his condition before he died.

Blind trust. THAT'S why we did not take him to another vet, even though things did not seem right towards the end. We did not know then that this vet was an idiot that was untrustworthy. Just like most people out there, we blindly trusted our vet. Never in a million years did we think we needed to worry about the veterinarian harming our dog. That is something we have to live with for the rest of our lives.

But let's be REAL CLEAR here....this vet was supposed to be the professional here and she was CLEARLY negligent in his care. HER failure caused his death. If we knew then what we know now, we would have RAN to a different vet and saved his life.

NOW we know to NEVER blindly trust a vet. NOW we know that we must do the research to make sure the vet knows what the Hell they are doing.  

Greg Munson

---

What happened to Stempy?

Stempy had a problem with bladder stones. This is a condition that needs to be monitored and managed. There is much more to managing this condition than just a diet change.  (Read this at VeterinaryPartner.com  to learn about Stempy's condition.) Stempy was already on a prescription diet from his previous vet due to a previous problem with stones. This was dealt with by his prior vet nonsurgically. We changed vets in the Fall of 2003 because we never saw the same vet twice at our old clinic. We wanted a vet who would get to know our dogs. It was then that we made the worst decision of our lives in our choice of a new vet. 

Dr. Ann Thomas - Rodeo Drive Veterinary Hospital (aka Rodeo Dr. Vet Rodeo Dr Veterinary Hospital Canine & Cat Corral , Rodeo Drive Animal ) - was a solo practitioner close to home. We had started buying Stempy’s prescription diet from Dr. Thomas in September 2003. Since Dr. Thomas had never seen Stempy, she required us to provide his records from his previous veterinarian in order to dispense his prescription diet. (*-Note that in Stempy’s records from Dr. Thomas, she claims that his previous records contained no mention of his bladder stone history. If that is the case, then what in the world was she doing dispensing a prescription diet to Stempy without ever seeing him? Isn't that a failure to establish a vet/patient relationship?) Dr. Thomas sold us Stempy’s prescription diet several times before doctor and patient ever met.

Stempy met Dr. Thomas (aka  Ann K Thomas DVM Ann Thomas DVM Ann K. Thomas DVM Ann Thomas, DVM Ann K. Thomas, DVM Ann K Thomas, DVM Dr. Ann K. Thomas, DVM ) , of Rodeo Drive Veterinary Hospital (aka Rodeo Dr. Vet Rodeo Dr Veterinary Hospital Canine & Cat Corral  Rodeo Drive Animal ), for the first time under adverse circumstances. In November of 2003, Stempy had a urethral obstruction (Dr. Thomas and the Texas Vet Board need to read and reread and STUDY this link on urethral obstruction and this link on canine retrograde urohydropropulsion: a standard of care ) caused by a bladder stone blocking his urethra. This is a medical emergency.   Of course, all we knew at the time is that Stempy couldn’t go pee and he was very uncomfortable. Dr. Thomas was able to wash the obstruction back to his bladder. As she should, she took radiographs to see the stone, and she did a urinalysis. Based on the urinalysis, she changed his diet. She sent Stempy home wearing a catheter to wait a few days for a cystotomy to be performed. We informed Dr. Thomas of a few seizure-like episodes Stempy had experienced in his past because we were worried it would cause problems with his anesthesia. Dr. Thomas responded to this information by saying, “Oh really.” (Dr. Thomas denies this conversation ever occurred – we remember it vividly) Stempy had his cystotomy and recovered well from surgery. Based on lab results, Dr. Thomas again changed Stempy’s diet. Stempy had one additional urinalysis at one post surgical follow up appointment that contradicted the lab results and her again changing his diet. She paid no attention and should have changed his diet again, but did not...she left him on a diet not even formulated for bladder stones and had him on this wrong diet for the remainder of his life.

From our extensive research after Stempy’s death (also see Consider page of this website), we learned that Dr. Thomas did not follow proper protocol starting with this very first surgery. Dr. Thomas failed to take post surgical radiographs after the cystotomy to verify removal of all stones. Dr. Thomas failed to recommend quarterly urinalyses to monitor his urine. This is a MUST for bladder stone patients as many patients form new stones in the future. Dr. Thomas failed to recommend twice yearly radiographs. This is a MUST with the goal being to catch new stones forming while they are small enough to be removed non-surgically.

(Read for yourself - many examples /recommendations from veterinary professionals prove Dr. Thomas did not follow normal protocol: click here,  and here,  and here,  and here, and here, and here)

There were several opportunities to recommend a urinalysis or radiograph to us to monitor Stempy’s condition. Dr. Thomas never recommended anything.  (See Timeline page of this website.)

In March of 2005, Stempy again had a urethral obstruction. We were not sure that is what it was at the time. Dr. Thomas failed to take radiographs to ensure her diagnosis. She again washed the stone back to the bladder to relieve the obstruction. A cystotomy was scheduled for the following week and Stempy was sent home wearing a catheter again. When we went to pick up Stempy post surgery, somehow the stone had magically disappeared, so no cystotomy was performed. We were never shown radiographs to back up Dr. Thomas’ claim. No future monitoring was recommended or performed. 

Dr. Thomas ONLY had permission to perform a cystotomy - nothing else. She did NOT perform a cystotomy. She had lodged the catheter to the stone with the forceful catheterization she had performed. She was unable to remove the catheter. She told us that Stempy, himself, removed the catheter, although this is not what she wrote in his records.She performed an unauthorized procedure which she said was a perineal urethrostomy. This is not the procedure she performed, as admitted by the board. SO SHE DOESN'T EVEN KNOW  WHAT SURGERY SHE PERFORMED? WAS SHE JUST MAKING STUFF UP AS SHE WENT ALONG? Her own vet tech stated she had NEVER performed that type of surgery before. She cut our little boy from his anus to his scrotum - a NINE cm incision - and NO NEW permanent or temporary opening was made - as would be expected with a urethrotomy or a urethrostomy. Remember - we had ONLY authorized a cystotomy. THAT'S IT. NOTHING ELSE. As previously mentioned, three days before this unauthorized surgery, Dr. Thomas had failed to wash the stone back to the bladder and had instead lodged the catheter to the stone. She would have known this if she would have taken a radiograph three days earlier when he was brought in. Instead, Stempy was either still obstructed for those three days or she had damaged his urethra and/or  bladder when she attempted the forceful catheterization.  Read this link on urethral obstruction and this link on canine retrograde urohydropropulsion: a standard of care again. Instead of referring us to a specialist, Dr. Thomas tried to fix her own screwup.  If Stempy was in an emergency situation the day of surgery, then SHE is the one who put him there with her FAILURES three days earlier. INEXCUSABLE. Are these not violations? COME ON!!

Stempy was in extreme pain post surgery. We took him back to her EVERY DAY post surgery. Stempy was not eating and was only dribbling urine. She never properly examined him. She just kept changing his pain medicine. Then she gave us a tranquilizer with no pain killing abilities (Acepromazine) and led us to believe it was yet another pain killer. This tranquilizer lowers the seizure threshold and is not recommended for brachycephalic breeds. 

Greg & Cindy Munson

(Visit all the various pages of this website for detailed information of the aforementioned events.)

veterinary negligence , veterinary abuse , veterinary malpractice , incompetent , substandard

---

November 18, 2008

San Antonio, Texas - KSAT - ABC 12 - San Antonio television station KSAT - 12, the ABC affiliate, ran a  story November 18th on the Texas Veterinary Board and changes that citizens are seeking. This is the second Texas TV station to cover Stempy's Story (see KTVT footage further down this page). We are very grateful and extend our thanks to KSAT for the great coverage.

WATCH THE VIDEO:

 

You can also watch the video at the KSAT ABC-12 website:

Pet Owners want changes to Texas Vet Board - KSAT ABC-12 - Special Report

---

September 30, 2008.....Today marks 3 long years that we have been without our little boy because of the actions and inactions of the WORST vet in Mesquite, Texas and for miles around - Ann Thomas DVM - Rodeo Drive Veterinary Hospital. The Texas Board of Veterinary Medical Examiners - which has to be one of the WORST veterinary boards in the United States - let this BAD vet off the hook. That's par for the course down here in Texas. Well, guess what? We have not and will not, nor will we EVER, stand for it. We continue fighting this corrupt board and it's biased complaint process. The time for change is WAY overdue. We are calling on all of our fellow animal loving Texans to stand with us in this battle. Email us to ask what you can do to help hold BAD vets in Texas accountable for their actions. Onward and upward...in Stempy's name.

July 17, 2008.....Today would have been Stempy's 11th birthday.  It's been 2 years 9+ months since Ann Thomas performed that fateful UNAUTHORIZED surgery - resulting in our beloved little boy's painful death. The pain and the horror is still very fresh in our minds. This BAD vet may have put us in a perpetual nightmare, but our resolve to fight for change and accountability, in Stempy's honor, remains strong. We will fight for change for however long it takes. No animal or person should EVER have to endure what the victims of BAD vets and CORRUPT vet boards have to put up with.

Somehow.

Someway.

Someday.

There WILL be justice.

Happy 11th Birthday, Stempy.

We love you. We miss you.
  

---

The dead cannot cry out for justice;
it is a duty of the living to do so for them.

"Stempy, we think about you every single day! We love you & miss you so much! Oh, how we long to hold you in our arms again; to hear your little bark; to hear you snort at us; to see your little tail wag! Such a beautiful little boy you were! Our promise to you: We will fight for justice for you to the ends of the earth. You will NEVER be forgotten!" Love always, Your Daddy & Mommy.

---

---

Never blindly trust your veterinarian....

Stempy died 3 days after surgery to remove a bladder stone, but there is so much more to the story. We have filed a formal complaint (January 2006) with the Texas Board of Veterinary Medical Examiners for the veterinary negligence that Stempy endured at the hands of Ann Thomas, DVM . We will update this site as we go through the process. (Dismissed May 2006 - Dismissed again August 2006) Click on the links up above to learn more about the veterinary negligence.

.

....your pet's life may depend on it!

Veterinary Negligence / Malpractice / Incompetence / Abuse is, unfortunately, a growing problem in the United States and elsewhere. You must become an informed consumer. While we hope that most veterinarians practicing today are knowledgeable and compassionate professionals who truly care about their patients, you just simply cannot leave it to chance. Our personal experience has now made us painfully aware of the "other" veterinarians out there that, in our opinion and as seen through our eyes, are incompetent or could care less about you and your beloved pet. If you don't do your "homework," your beloved pet could pay the price with their life. Research complaints, diagnoses, medications, etc. If the veterinarian recommends surgery, get a second opinion! For more opinions and information on this topic, please visit our friends at the Veterinary Abuse Network .

---

VETERINARY NEGLIGENCE & SUBSTANDARD CARE

...at the hands of Ann K. Thomas, DVM - Mesquite, Texas

CONDENSED AND COMBINED VERSION OF THE 33+ ALLEGED VIOLATIONS:

(full details are available by clicking the page links above)

IN OUR OPINION, AS SEEN THROUGH OUR EYES, AS PERSONALLY
WITNESSED AND EXPERIENCED FIRST HAND, AND AS
CORROBORATED BY THE MEDICAL RECORDS:

 Dr. Thomas had Stempy on the wrong prescription diet for 2 years and failed to record dispensing his prescription diet on multiple occasions.

• Dr. Thomas never took postsurgical radiographs to verify removal of all stones
• Dr. Thomas failed to perform or recommend any aftercare or management that is required for Stempy's condition, canine bladder stones (urolithiasis), beginning post-surgery in November 2003.
• Dr. Thomas failed to do full and complete diagnostics (radiographs) on multiple occasions.
• Dr. Thomas failed to get consent and performed an unauthorized procedure on 9/27/05.
• Dr. Thomas had a duty to refer this case and she completely failed by not referring this case to a specialist.
• Dr. Thomas failed to properly examine Stempy for 2 days in a row following surgery on 9/27/05.
• Dr. Thomas' staff refused to see Stempy at 5 pm on 9/29/05, even after being informed by phone of patient's deteriorating condition. Client was told, specifically, "No! Do not bring Stempy back in. He will be in pain for another 2 or 3 days." Clinic stated he would be in pain for another 2 or 3 days, yet Dr. Thomas had taken Stempy completely off of pain killers earlier this day and put him on tranquilizers without client's knowledge (client was led to believe that tranquilizer was yet another pain killer). Patient passed away the very next morning.
• Dr. Thomas prescribed Acepromazine despite it having no pain killing abilities and failed to inform client that this was a tranquilizer, not a pain killer, and despite having been informed on 11/1/03 of Stempy's two prior seizures. Acepromazine lowers the seizure threshold.
• Dr. Thomas failed to record shot she gave to patient on 9/28/05.
• Dr. Thomas wrote down the wrong procedure performed on 9/27/05. She did NOT perform a urethrostomy.
• Dr. Thomas failed to follow client's instructions and breached the verbal agreement the parties had that if anything more severe than a cystotomy had to be performed on 9/27/05, client would be immediately notified first so client could decide how to proceed.
• Dr. Thomas falsified and/or altered Stempy's records on multiple occasions.
• Dr. Thomas withheld radiographs from client for 8 months, and then provided unusable "pictures" of the radiographs on a homemade cd-rom. Client is still waiting for the State Board to provide usable x-ray film duplicates.

IN OUR OPINION, THIS IS VETERINARY NEGLIGENCE & SUBSTANDARD CARE. PERIOD.

(click the page links up above for a detailed listing of all of the alleged violations)

---

NO JUSTICE FOR STEMPY!?!
HEY TEXAS VET BOARD! WE ARE NOT GOING AWAY!
~ WE DEMAND JUSTICE!! ~

Surgery can cause excruciating pain and distress, especially a botched surgery. Ann Thomas, DVM has obviously forgotten how to recognize pain & distress in the animals she is treating. Ann Thomas, DVM has lost her concern for the distress that surgery can create.

----------------

Stempy was literally in worse shape and in constant extreme pain post surgery. It's why we took him back up there every day post-surgery. She literally acted like we were a bother to her post-surgery. She said, "Stempy was just being whiney." We know our dogs extremely well. Stempy was NOT being "whiney"... he was in excruciating pain!She lied in his records about what we observed and reported to her. She butchered our little boy. His incision was from his anus to his scrotum. The incision was stitched up w/ big, thick stitches. There was severe bruising. There was NO new or temporary opening made anywhere. We only remember seeing him dribble some urine post surgery....never a solid stream.

He was in CONSTANT excruciating pain post 9/27/05 surgery.

She severely hurt our little boy........She did not help him.

NO PATIENT SHOULD BE WORSE FOR HAVING SEEN THE DOCTOR.

---

TWICE DISMISSED

In spite of all evidence proving negligence.
WHAT IS GOING ON HERE?
OBVIOUSLY, THE BOARD PROTECTS VETS...NOT OUR PETS.
8/7/06 - OUR APPEAL HAS NOW BEEN DISMISSED

Robert L. Lastovica, DVM of Friendship Veterinary Center & Lastovica Angus Farm
   

in Fredericksburg, Texas - was the reviewing veterinarian who dismissed the appeal. He was the President of the Texas State Board of Veterinary Medical Examiners at the time of Stempy's complaint. (update May 2008 - his six year term has now expired and he is no longer a member of the Board.) Of course, we were not allowed any contact during the appeal or complaint process.We have made several attempts to communicate with Dr. Lastovica and the other Board members. There should be no problem with communication now, but none of Board members have ever responded to us. We are waiting for someone to explain how all 33 alleged violations were dismissed.

Why was Dr. Thomas not punished?

Just an honest and ethical explanation is what we seek from each of you.

Stempy is deserving and we want to hear your explanation.

The complaint and appeal process is over.

There is no reason you cannot communicate with us now.

We are waiting.........and waiting ........and waiting

---

 .
March 23, 2007

Dallas, Texas - KTVT - CBS 11 - Dallas / Ft. Worth television station KTVT - 11, the local CBS affiliate, ran a two-part story March 21st and March 22nd on Veterinary Malpractice and what happens in Texas when your pet is a victim of a Bad Vet. Veteran news anchor Tracy Rowlett, the "Walter Cronkite" of Dallas / Ft. Worth, interviewed us for this story. Stempy's story was a prominent part of both segments. We were very pleased with the story and we are sincerely appreciative of Mr. Rowlett for interviewing us and very thankful to Executive Producer John Sparks for contacting us and arranging the interview.

WATCH THE TWO PART VIDEO:

You can also watch the videos at the KTVT CBS-11 website:

Bad Vets - KTVT CBS-11 - Special Report - Part 1

Bad Vets - KTVT CBS-11 - Special Report - Part 2

Here are a few still shots taken from the video:

---

AUGUST 16, 2007

It took over a year, since the 2nd dismissal, to get a Board Vet to talk to us as has happened recently. In that period of time, we have attended 3 public Board meetings (there are 3 a year) - voicing our objections, concerns, questions, and asking to speak to a Board Vet. The Board Vet who finally spoke to us  was NOT Board President Robert Lastovica, DVM or the other 2 Board Vets who supposedly "reviewed" Stempy's case. 

Robert Lastovica, DVM - President
of the Texas Board of Veterinary Medical Examiners (at the time of Stempy's complaint.)

In fact, we even paid a visit to Dr. Lastovica last month (July 2007) at "Lastovica Angus Farm," where he welcomes visitors and even posts a map to the location. We asked him to please call us at his earliest convenience to discuss Stempy's case and address our remaining questions and concerns. What did Dr. Lastovica do?  Face to face he was cordial and said he would call us. He lied. After we left, he decided to squeal like a stuck pig and "tattle" to Dewey Helmcamp, the Executive Director of the Board.

Left to right - Lee Mathews - retiring General Counsel & Dewey Helmcamp, Executive Director
of the Texas Board of Veterinary Medical Examiners. Mr. Helmcamp is the leader of this "Three Ring Circus."

We are guessing the conversation between Dr. Lastovica and Mr. Helmcamp probably went something like this:  

*Lastovica:"Wah....wah! Daddy, I mean Dewey, the Munson's won't leave me alone! They want to ask me questions!  Can you imagine the horror?!?"

*Helmcamp: "Well, them mean old Munson's! Don't they know we only care about vets, not them and their pets? I'll fix them! I'll just send a note to all Board Members warning them to have NO contact with the Munson's at all! That'll fix them!"   

* - This is speculation & sarcasm on our part as to what their conversation might have actually sounded like, but you get the idea. We do know that Helmcamp, after being contacted by Lastovica, did indeed notify and warn all the veterinary board members to have no contact with us . This is absurd.  This is just further proof of just how far off this Board is from performing its stated mission of protecting the public. This Board is in desperate need of reform.  Despite Helmcamp trying to prevent us from speaking with a Board vet, we found one willing to speak with us recently. That discussion was even more discouraging because it further revealed the "anything goes" mentality of the Board. Truly a sad state of affairs for pets here in Texas.

The two original reviewing members  who dismissed Stempy's case were Guy Johnsen, DVM of El Paso, TX and Bud Alldredge, DVM of Sweetwater, TX.  Dr. Johnsen wrote us a note forwarded to us through the board in July of 2007. It was his 'final analysis' of the case. Dr. Guy Johnsen, of Johnsen Animal Hospital. and former vice president of the Texas Vet Board, blamed US for Stempy's death. It was obvious to us from his analysis that Dr. Thomas had lied in her response to the board. We have NEVER been allowed to see Dr. Thomas' response. Dr. Johnsen's letter was the most insulting piece of garbage we have ever received. Greg responded to Dr. Guy W. Johnsen at the October 2007 board meeting with a speech, the text of which is below:

Greg Munson's speech - 10/11/2007:

"Dr. Johnsen,
 
 You did a final analysis of Stempy’s case on July 9th, 2007. In that analysis, you state that you will not entertain anymore dialogue from us on this matter. Sir, we have NEVER been allowed to have ANY direct dialogue with you regarding Stempy’s case, so it’s pretty obvious to us that you are never going to grow a conscious, and certainly not while writing your analysis.
 
You state that you read each case 3 times. We find that a little hard to believe. Listen for a moment and we’ll make that real clear for you.
 
You state that you place yourself in the shoes of the owner. Frankly, that statement is downright insulting. You could NEVER objectively place yourself in the shoes of any owner, and most certainly not our shoes.
 
You state that you bounce questions about the case off of SEVERAL outside sources. Please tell us, Dr. Johnsen, why is it that you have no time to bounce questions off of the persons who would have the MOST knowledge of the case? Those persons would be the complainant.  That would be us, Dr. Johnsen.  When the stories don’t match between the complainant and licensee, you need to talk to both parties. You took time to speak with the licensee, veterinary specialists, and other private practitioners, but yet you have no time to EVER talk with the complainant? How can you claim to put yourself in the owner’s shoes when you NEVER EVEN TALK TO THEM?!? This is just downright shameful. Your method is not just, nor is it fair.
 
Did you talk to other veterinarians in the Mesquite area to determine the community standard of care? We did. We even submitted a letter from another Mesquite veterinarian that supported our claim. Did you miss that when you were reading Stempy’s case those 3 times?
 
You state that Dr. Thomas followed an acceptable surgical protocol. Since when is it acceptable protocol to perform a procedure we had never authorized – a procedure that Dr. Thomas had NEVER performed in her 20 years of being a vet?  She was in over her head. She should have referred Stempy to a specialist. It was not within the “penumbra of her treatment plan.” She had no “treatment plan.” We were very explicit and clear about what she had our permission for to perform.
 
You state that she evaluated Stempy via history. You read the case 3 times? Hmmm. Did you fail to comprehend what occurred on Stempy’s visit two weeks prior? Despite his HISTORY of stones, she failed to radiograph to check for stones or correctly diagnose stones.
 
You state that Dr. Thomas performed pre-op blood tests. Dr. Johnsen, are you sure you even read Stempy’s case ONE time? No blood tests were EVER performed. No blood tests are ever mentioned in the medical records.
 
You state that nothing in the records document our concern about the unauthorized procedure. Do you really think that Dr. Thomas would document OUR concern about an UNAUTHORIZED procedure SHE performed in the medical records that she was falsifying? Now we are POSITIVE that YOU did not read what we submitted. Ever cross your mind that Dr. Thomas is not being truthful? Obviously, not for a second, as you bought her story hook, line, and sinker. Well, guess what? She lied to you.
 
You state that Dr. Thomas was giving us financial leeway. Sir, money had never even been discussed prior to surgery because she was only authorized to do a cystotomy. Money had no bearing on whether or not we would have gone to a specialist. When we went to pick him up POST-SURGERY, his bill was twice the cost of the cystotomy performed in November 2003. We asked to pay in 2 payments by check because the bill was twice what it was supposed to be. She could have said no. We had other methods of payment available. Your insinuation that we EVER put any type of financial restraint on Stempy’s care is insulting! That is over the top, and frankly, you owe us an apology.
 
Ditto, our new Shih Tzu, cost us exactly $750. The only way we would have accepted this amount from Dr. Thomas was for her to accept full responsibility. She did neither. For you to suggest that we were money motivated shows how out of touch you really are.
 
You obviously did not read everything we submitted. You have misjudged us and midjudged Stempy’s case terribly. This is why the complainant MUST be allowed to view and rebut the licensee’s response. This is why the complainant MUST be allowed to communicate with the reviewing veterinarian during the process.
 
Just and fair? Not even close. Good riddance."

---

 STEMPY'S CHECKLIST - CHOOSING A VETERINARIAN 
 (so maybe you and your pet won't have to experience the physical and
emotional pain caused by an incompetent and negligent vet.)




STEMPY'S EXPRESS CHECKLIST 
(A new, SHORTER version. CHOOSING A VETERINARIAN)

---

According to the CBS-11 investigation (see above), the Texas Vet Board received 212 consumer complaints in 2006 and only 17 vets were disciplined. That's an 8% disciplinary rate and that is absolutely deplorable. Reform is CRITICAL to protect the pets of Texas. These numbers make it CRYSTAL CLEAR that the Board is incapable of policing themselves in the current climate. Take a moment and VOTE with Stempy's VoteCaster in our informal poll. Make your voice heard! Write your legislators!

---

DOES THE TEXAS STATE BOARD OF VETERINARY MEDICAL EXAMINERS, IN ITS CURRENT FORM, SERVE ITS PRIMARY ROLE OF PROTECTING THE PUBLIC?
VOTE NOW!

---

Board's numbers from the years 2004 - 2005.

397 complainants (according to c/s survey on board website)
53 resulted in some action (not counting C/E and DEA reg. violations)

Breakdown on punishments:

Informal reprimand - 17
Formal reprimand - 15
Formal + - 2
Formal + fine - 19
---------------------------

Disciplinary rate - 13.35% (53 / 397)
         UNACCEPTABLE!

 Informals are not reported to the national database. As far as the national database goes then, that would lower the Texas disciplinary rate to 9.07% .
         PATHETIC!

 Only 4.79% of all 397 complaints filed by the complainants resulted in a fine for a respondent vet.          EXTREMELY POOR!

---

---

UPDATES:

UPDATE 1/31/06: We received a letter yesterday, 1/30/06, from the Texas State Board of Veterinary Medical Examiners stating that our complaint against ANN K. THOMAS, DVM - RODEO DRIVE VETERINARY HOSPITAL - MESQUITE, TEXAS has been received and that the investigation is under way.

UPDATE 2/08/06: Happy 7th Birthday to NayNay (Renay) - our female Shih Tzu. Meet her on the Meet Our Doggies page.

UPDATE 2/10/06: This would have been Muffy's 18th Birthday. Happy Birthday Muffy! We love you and we miss you! Meet Muffy on the Meet Our Doggies page. She passed away 11 days after Stempy on 10/10/05.

UPDATE 2/13/06: We have received reports of difficulty signing our guestbook. We have gone in and changed some options to hopefully make it easier to post. If you have not yet done so, please do stop by and sign our guestbook. We would love to know that you were here! Also, we have added "page appropriate" music to each of the pages. We hope you enjoy the selections we chose. The music can be easily turned off by pressing the stop button on the player or your browser. We have no news at present to report on our complaint. Thanks for stopping by! Come back soon!

UPDATE 2/17/06: We have posted a few more pictures on the Meet Our Doggies page. Take a look!

UPDATE 2/21/06: Ann K. Thomas, DVM has 21 days to respond to the State Board regarding our complaint. That 21 day period should now be over. Hopefully we will hear something soon from the investigator assigned to our complaint. We will post information here just as soon as it is received. PLEASE STOP BY AND SIGN STEMPY'S GUESTBOOK! We would love to know that you were here!

UPDATE 2/23/06: We have made an informal poll / questionnaire that we would love for visitors to this website to answer. Please visit Stempy's VoteCaster to take the poll. We want your answers!

UPDATE 3/17/06: Happy Birthday to my beautiful wife, Cindy Munson - co-author of this website and Stempy's "Mommy" - from her husband, Greg. Take a look at the new page we added recently: Additional Info. It includes the text of a letter given to us by another local veterinarian that reinforces our claim of Veterinary Negligence on the part of Ann K. Thomas, DVM. We still have no news to report on the status of our complaint filed with the TSBVME . Hopefully soon.

UPDATE 3/21/06: Updated the Meet Our Doggies page with more pictures and added our newest addition, Tempy, to the page. Also added a new About Us page.

UPDATE 5/03/06: We received the worst possible news today. The State Board has dismissed our complaint. We are not surprised, as approximately 90% of all veterinary complaints filed with State Boards are dismissed without ever reaching conference level. There is something seriously wrong with the system. It's all here for everyone to see. The Board's job is to protect the public. Since they obviously cannot do their job, we STRONGLY believe the Texas State Board of Veterinary Medical Examiners should be ABOLISHED! This vet got off scot-free! Who is protecting your pets? The answer is......ONLY YOU. It's surely not the State Board, who, in our opinion, regularly lets guilty vets off the hook. What a sad state of affairs. If you are as appalled as we are, write your congressman to complain. Together, we can effect change. For Stempy, and all the other vet victims. We will NEVER forget.

UPDATE 5/11/06: We are NOT giving up on our fight for justice for Stempy. We are not allowed to even see the vet's response to our complaint. Through our eyes, she lied in Stempy's records....so why wouldn't she lie to the board? No one from the board ever even called us to clarify any issues (while the complaint was under its original review...we did receive calls from Pete Hartline during the appeal process). This is a travesty of justice! It just further proves that the complaint process in this state is not working in the best interests of the public, but, rather, is working in the bests interests of a guilty veterinarian. The board is, once again, proving incapable of policing their own. There MUST be changes made to this process! We will NOT go quietly!

UPDATE 5/24/06: Happy Birthday to Tilly, our female Irish Setter who is now 3 years old! Go to the "Meet Our Doggies" page to meet her!

UPDATE 6/26/06: We are still in the "courtesy" appeal process. Dr. Thomas was told to give us copies of Stempy's radiographs, finally. She sent us the poorest excuse for x-rays....a homemade cd-rom where she, herself, took a picture (you can see her fingers in the photo) of the "x-rays." The name can only be made out on one or two of five (should have been 3). They are all fuzzy. They are completely useless in the form sent to us....which, we are sure, was the general idea. What Dr. Thomas has done is tantamount to obstruction of justice. She is just continuing her pattern of deception and lies. Could someone at the Board please WAKE UP and take notice? Sometime or another, the board is supposed to provide us with x-ray film to x-ray film duplicates, since Dr. Thomas will not provide these for us. We figure we will not see those x-rays until it is too late...once a decision has been made. We want the opportunity to examine and have examined the x-rays Dr. Thomas submitted as we have serious doubts about their legitimacy. By the time we finally get our hands on readable radiographs....well, in our opinion, the "fix may already be in...a decision will have most likely been rendered." That sure is how it appears to us....and if this complaint is dismissed again without us having the chance to have usable radiographs examined by a third party, that is completely unfair and utterly outrageous. We will keep you posted as to how all of this unfolds. (UPDATE: 8/7/06 - Yes, the complaint was dismissed again without us having the opportunity to have the radiographs examined. COMPLETELY UNFAIR! ) WE STRONGLY FEEL THIS PROCESS IS GEARED TOWARD PROTECTING VETS, NOT OUR BELOVED PETS!

UPDATE 7/17/06 : Today is a very hard day for us. It is Stempy's Birthday. He would have been 9 years old today. ----We love you and miss you, Stempy! It is not the same without you. We will continue fighting to hold Dr. Thomas accountable for your preventable death. You deserved better, boy. Please forgive us for choosing Dr. Thomas to be your vet. We did not know then that, according to our experiences, she was incompetent, unprofessional, and deceiving.-----

UPDATE8/08/06: Today is Ditto's first birthday. Happy Birthday Ditto! Meet him on the "Meet Our Doggies" page.

UPDATE 8/12/06: Today is Echo's first birthday. Happy Birthday Echo! Meet her on the "Meet Our Doggies" page.

UPDATE 1/04/07: Today is Tempy's first birthday. Happy Birthday Tempy! Meet him on the "Meet Our Doggies" page.

UPDATE 2/08/07: Today is Renay's 8th birthday. Happy Birthday Renay! Meet her on the "Meet Our Doggies" page. We also traveled to Austin today to address the Board again. Update soon on Our Vet Board Visit page.

UPDATE 2/10/07: Today would have been Muffy's 19th birthday. We miss you, Muffy! Meet her on the "Meet Our Doggies" page.

UPDATE 5/24/07:   Tilly turned 4 years old today.

UPDATE 7/17/07:   Our beloved Stempy would have been 10 years old today. It will never be the same without you Stempy! We miss you so.....

UPDATE 8/08/07:   Ditto turned 2 years old today.

UPDATE 8/12/07:   Echo turned 2 years old today.

UPDATE 9/30/07:   2 year anniversary of Stempy passing away. See thoughts below.

UPDATE 10/10/07:   2 year anniversary of Muffy passing away. See thoughts below.

UPDATE 1/4/08:   Tempy's 2nd Birthday.

UPDATE 2/8/08:   Renay's 9th Birthday.

UPDATE 2/10/08:   This would have been Muffy's 20th Birthday. We love & miss you, Muffy!

UPDATE 5/24/08: Tilly turned 5 years old today.

UPDATE 7/17/08: Stempy's 11th birthday. See update above.

UPDATE 8/08/08: Ditto's 3rd birthday.

UPDATE 8/12/08: Echo's 3rd birthday.

UPDATE 9/30/08:   3 year anniversary of Stempy passing away.

UPDATE 10/10/08:   3 year anniversary of Muffy passing away. 

UPDATE 1/4/09:   Tempy's 3rd Birthday.

UPDATE 2/8/09:   Renay's 10th Birthday.

UPDATE 2/10/09:   This would have been Muffy's 21st Birthday. 

---

Thoughts on Sunday, September 30, 2007 - the 2 year anniversary of Stempy's passing:

Below is an email we received today, 9/30/2007, from Julie Catalano, of the Veterinary Abuse Network. Also, included is my (Greg Munson's) response. It sums up today pretty well.

Sent: Sunday, September 30, 2007 4:03 PM

Subject: Stempy

Greg and Cindy, I know today is Stempy's anniversary, and I just wanted to let you guys know I'm thinking of you. Anniversaries are so hard; they don't seem to get any easier either.
 
Please know that you have honored Stempy in every way possible with your ceaseless efforts to get justice not only for him but for all vet victims. Although I wish we had never had to meet, I'm certainly glad and grateful to know you. Thank you for everything you do for the animals and for this cause.
 
Julie

Sent: Sunday, September 30, 2007 10:17 PM

Subject: Re: Stempy

Thank you, Julie. Yes, today was again hard. The day Stempy died, he was alive and seemingly ok when Cindy left for work at 640am. I woke up a little after 9am. During that 2 hours and 20 minutes.........

Anyway, I awoke today at 700am when Cindy called me from work. Ditto was asleep right where Stempy would have been. Well, that day two years ago, Stempy last rested on the pillow on top of the milk crate that is still next to our bed. The pillow that was there, it's buried with my little boy. I have one more like it that has taken the other pillow's place. The two pillows already had great sentimental value anyway....they belonged to my parents in the 70's and were given to me in the 80's. Ditto and Tempy both use it now to sleep on....like Stempy did. I got off track there.....anyway after Cindy called this morning I was awake that entire time....those 2 hours. I called Stempy's name today. Told him how much I missed him. Then I was seemingly ok until Cindy came home around 330pm....then it hit me. Man, crying really drains me...saps my energy. I'm a grown man...but thinking about my little boy gets me everytime. Julie, we should have had at least 6 or 8 or more good years left with Stempy.

As you can see, we let the deadline pass. Who knows what the future holds. Cindy and I lit a candle and put it on Stempy's grave this afternoon.....just like last year......it still burns......

   We miss you, Stempy!

  7/17/97 - 9/30/05 

---

 

Thoughts on Wednesday, October 10, 2007 - The 2 year anniversary of Muffy's passing:

We burned a candle of Muffy's grave today - it still burns into the night.....

We miss you, Muffy!
2/10/88 - 10/10/05

Muffy, we miss you, love you, and think about you often. You were so devoted to us for so long - and it was just you and your Daddy, Greg, for 9 years until the family grew. I remember the days when you and I were living with my parents and I would come home and there you were....looking out the front door patiently waiting on my return. You loved to ride in the car and for many years your favorite spot was right in my lap. Every time I open the refrigerator, I expect to turn around and see you right there......you never once missed the refrigerator opening.  I miss you greatly, Muffy, and so does everyone else. You kept me company during those lonely years before I met Cindy. Then you kept us all company.  Muffy, I hope you know how very much we love you and miss you. Someday our family chain will link again. Love you! Your Daddy, Greg.

Muffy Munson
Lhasa Apso
passed away 10 days after Stempy at the age of 17 3/4 years old.
February 10, 1988 - October 10, 2005

~ SPECIAL THANKS TO PAT WOOD, WHO LIVES IN THE UNITED KINGDOM, FOR GIVING MUFFY HER VIRTUAL WINGS ~

---

---

This Webring Website is owned by: Greg & Cindy Munson Site Name: Alleged Veterinary Negligence - In Memory of Stempy Munson
Get Your Free Web Ring by Bravenet.com

---

---